You’ve probably seen those viral videos of people aggressively chewing on silicone tabs or making "fish faces" at their phone cameras. It looks ridiculous. Honestly, it is ridiculous. But there’s a massive surge in interest around face yoga for double chin reduction because, let’s be real, nobody loves how they look on a bottom-angled Zoom call. We’re all staring at that little pocket of submental fat and wondering if a few facial contortions can actually melt it away.
It works. Sorta. But not how most influencers tell you.
The reality of the submental area—that space under your jaw—is a complex mess of muscles, lymph nodes, and fat deposits. You have the platysma muscle, which is this broad, thin sheet extending from your chest up to your jaw. When that muscle loses tone, everything saggs. Most people think they need to "burn fat" under their chin, but you can’t spot-reduce fat. What you can do, however, is tighten the "sling" that holds everything up.
The Anatomy of the Sag
Before you start sticking your tongue out at the mirror, you have to understand why that double chin is there. It’s rarely just about weight. Genetic predisposition is a huge factor. Some people are just born with a shorter jawbone or a lower-set hyoid bone, which makes the skin under the chin hang more loosely. Then there’s "tech neck." We spend six hours a day looking down at iPhones, which weakens the anterior neck muscles and literally pulls our facial structure forward and down.
Face yoga for double chin isn't a magic eraser. It’s resistance training for the tiny muscles you’ve ignored since birth.
If you’re skeptical, look at the work of Dr. Murad Alam from Northwestern University. He led a study back in 2018—it’s basically the gold standard for this stuff—that showed a consistent 30-minute daily or every-other-day facial exercise routine significantly improved mid-face and lower-face fullness over 20 weeks. The participants actually looked younger. They weren't just imagining it.
Getting Started With Face Yoga for Double Chin
You don't need equipment. You just need a mirror and the willingness to look a bit crazy for ten minutes.
The Tongue Press
This is probably the most effective move in the entire repertoire. Sit up straight. Tilt your head back so you’re looking at the ceiling. Now, press your tongue flat against the roof of your mouth. While keeping the tongue pressed, lower your chin toward your chest as much as possible without rounding your back. You should feel a localized "tightening" right under your jawline.
🔗 Read more: Wait, Is My Body Pushing This Out? What Does a Rejecting Piercing Look Like and How to Save It
It burns. It should burn.
Do this ten times. If you do it right, you’ll feel the hyoid bone moving. This strengthens the mylohyoid and the geniohyoid muscles. Those are the muscles that actually form the floor of your mouth. When they’re strong, they pull that skin upward.
The Pout and Tilt
Stick your lower lip out as far as you can to form a pout. It’s the "upset toddler" look. While holding that pout, slowly tilt your head back. You’ll feel a massive stretch in the front of your neck. Hold for five seconds. Relax. Repeat. This targets the platysma. Most of us have a "lazy" platysma because we never look up anymore. We only look down.
Why Your Tongue Position Matters (Mewing)
We can't talk about face yoga for double chin without mentioning "mewing." Named after Dr. Mike Mew, an orthodontist, it’s basically just "proper tongue posture." Most people let their tongue rest on the floor of their mouth. That’s wrong. Your tongue should be suctioned to the roof of your mouth, with the tip just behind—but not touching—your front teeth.
Try it right now.
👉 See also: NIH Grant Policy News October 2025: What Most People Get Wrong
When you lift your tongue to the roof, your jawline instantly sharpens. Do it in front of a mirror and watch the submental area vanish. The goal of face yoga is to make that "lifted" state your default resting position. It’s hard. You’ll forget to do it. But after a few months, your muscles develop the memory to stay there.
The Role of Lymphatic Drainage
Sometimes that "double chin" isn't even fat or muscle laxity. It’s fluid.
The area under your jaw is a highway for lymph nodes. If your system is sluggish, you get "puffiness." This is where the yoga part blends into massage. Using your knuckles, sweep from the center of your chin outward toward your earlobes. Use a little facial oil so you aren't tugging the skin. This helps move stagnant fluid into the lymph ducts so it can be processed out of the body.
It’s a temporary fix, sure. But if you do it every morning, you’ll notice your jawline looks significantly more "chiseled" than it did when you woke up.
Does Gum Help?
Honestly, people ask this all the time. "Can I just chew mastic gum instead of doing face yoga?"
Mastic gum is much tougher than regular Orbit or Trident. It definitely works the masseter muscles (the ones at the back of your jaw). However, overworking the masseters can actually make your face look wider and more "square." If your goal is specifically a double chin fix, chewing gum is a secondary tool at best. It doesn't target the floor of the mouth; it targets the chewing mechanism. Stick to the tongue presses for the actual chin area.
✨ Don't miss: Maria F. Sarmiento DO: What You Actually Need to Know
Managing Your Expectations
I have to be the bearer of bad news for a second: you cannot out-exercise a 30% body fat percentage. If you are carrying significant excess weight, the muscles you’re building with face yoga for double chin will stay hidden under a layer of adipose tissue. Face yoga is a finishing tool. It’s for people who are at a healthy weight but still see "sag," or for those who want to prevent the structural collapse that comes with aging.
Also, skin elasticity is a factor. If you’re 65 and have significant "turkey neck" (excess skin), exercises will help the muscle underneath, but they won't make the skin itself shrink. For that, you’d need to look at things like radiofrequency treatments or, in extreme cases, a platysmaplasty.
But for the average person in their 20s, 30s, or 40s? This stuff is a game changer.
The 3-Step Daily Routine
If you want results, you have to be consistent. Don't do it once a week. That's useless.
- The Ceiling Kiss: Tilt your head back, look at the sky, and pucker your lips like you’re trying to kiss a giant. This stretches the entire neck and forces the chin muscles to contract. Do 15 reps.
- The Jaw Jut: Tilt your head back, and push your lower jaw forward until you feel a stretch under the chin. Hold for 10 seconds. You’ll look like a bulldog. It’s fine.
- The Neck Roll (Modified): Never roll your head all the way back; it’s bad for the cervical spine. Instead, look to the right, tilt your chin up, then slowly rotate to the left.
Actionable Steps for a Sharper Jawline
Start tonight. Don't wait until you've bought some fancy "jaw exerciser" tool off an Instagram ad. Most of those tools can actually damage your TMJ (the jaw joint). Your own tongue and gravity are the only tools you actually need.
- Audit your posture: For the next 24 hours, notice how often your chin is tucked into your chest. Every time you catch yourself, lift your head and "mew" (tongue to the roof of the mouth).
- Hydrate aggressively: Water retention makes the submental area look much worse. If you’re dehydrated, your body holds onto fluid under your jaw.
- The 10-Minute Rule: Commit to doing the "Tongue Press" and "Ceiling Kiss" for just 10 minutes while you're driving or watching Netflix. Consistency beats intensity every single time.
- Take a "Before" photo: Take it from a side profile and from a slightly low angle. Do the exercises for three weeks. Take another photo. You probably won't see a difference in the mirror day-to-day, but the photos won't lie.
Face yoga for double chin isn't about vanity; it's about functional movement of the facial muscles. When you strengthen the support system of your face, everything else follows. Stop looking down. Start looking up. Your jawline will thank you.